The Orange River Colony was the British colony created after Britain first occupied (1900) and then annexed (1902) the independent Orange Free State in the Second Boer War. The colony ceased to exist in 1910, when it was absorbed into the Union of South Africa as the Orange Free State Province.[2]

Orange River Colony
Oranjerivierkolonie
  • 1902–1910
StatusBritish colony
CapitalBloemfontein
Common languagesEnglish(official), Afrikaans, Dutch, Sesotho
Ethnic groups
(1904)
Religion
GovernmentConstitutional monarchy
Monarch 
• 1902–1910
Edward VII
• 1910
George V
Governor 
• 1902–1905
Viscount Milner
• 1905–1907
Earl of Selborne
• 1907–1910
Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams
Prime Minister 
• 1907–1910
Abraham Fischer
History 
• Established
31 May 1902
• British occupation
28 May 1900
• British annexation
6 October 1900
31 May 1902
• Self-government
27 November 1907
• incorporation in the Union of South Africa
31 May 1910
• Disestablished
31 May 1910
Population
• 1904[1]
387,315
CurrencyPound sterling
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Orange Free State
Union of South Africa
Today part ofSouth Africa

Constitutional history

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During the Second Boer War, British forces invaded the Orange Free State, occupying the capital, Bloemfontein by 13 March 1900. Five months later, on 6 October 1900, the British government declared an official annexation of the full territory of the Orange Free State, this in-spite of the fact they had not yet occupied the full territory, nor defeated the Free State forces.

The Free State government moved to Kroonstad during the early months of the war and its armies remained active in the field until the war's end. From the perspective of the Orange Free State, independence wasn't lost until they ratified the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902.

On the Boer side, the government was led by state president Martinus Theunis Steyn (1857–1916) until 30 May 1902, when he went on sick-leave and was replaced by General Christiaan de Wet as acting state president. On the British side, Sir Alfred Milner was appointed Administrator of the Orange River Colony on 4 January 1901, with Hamilton John Goold-Adams as lieutenant-governor.

Following the end of hostilities, Lord Milner visited Bloemfontein on 23 June 1902 and promulgated the new constitution, in the presence of military officials, heads of civil department and representatives of the late Boer government, including General De Wet.[3] Milner was sworn in as Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Orange River Colony on the same day.

From 1902 to 1910, the colony was governed by a single governor:

 
1903 British issued Orange River Colony permit following the Second Boer War.

Self-government

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Map of a small part (across the Vaal River from Vereeniging) of the Orange River Colony, 1902

By 1904 sentiment was growing for some form of self-government. The Orangia Unie (Orange Union Party) was formally constituted in May 1906, after several months of preparation. A similar organisation, called Het Volk, had been formed by the Transvaal Boers in January 1905. Both unions had constitutions almost identical with that of the Afrikaner Bond,[2] a former pan-Afrikaner political movement, and their aims were also similar – to secure the position of the Afrikaners in state and society. The chairman of the Orangia Unie was Abraham Fischer, leading politician of the pre-Boer War period and top diplomat of the Boer republics during the Second Boer War. Among the other prominent members were J. B. M. Hertzog, Christiaan de Wet and Martinus Theunis Steyn.

A second political party, the Constitutional Party was formed by a group of burghers content with British rule. Chairman of the party was Sir John G. Fraser, before the Second Boer War a prominent (pro-British) member of the Volksraad of the Orange Free State. The Constitutional Party had a strong following in Bloemfontein, but not outside the capital. The political programmes of the two parties were very similar, the real difference between them being the attitude towards British annexation and Afrikaner influence.[2]

In 1905 Lord Selborne, formerly First Lord of the Admiralty, replaced Viscount Milner as high commissioner for South Africa and governor of the Transvaal and Orange River colonies. Selborne had come to South Africa with a brief to guide the former Boer republics from Crown colony government towards self-government. When Liberal Party came into office in Britain in December 1905 the process was speeded up, with the decision to give both the Transvaal and Orange River colonies self-government without delay. Selborne accepted the changed situation, and the experiment proved successful. He ceased to be governor of the Orange River Colony on its assumption of self-government in June 1907, but retained his other posts until May 1910, retiring on the eve of the establishment of the Union of South Africa.

On 7 January 1907 Selborne released a despatch, known as the Selborne Memorandum. It reviewed the situation in South Africa in all its economic and political aspects and was a masterly and comprehensive statement of the dangers inherent in the existing political system and of the advantages a political union offered. The document had a marked influence on the course of events and together with Selborne's conciliatory approach assisted in reconciling the Dutch and British communities of South Africa.

After the elections of 1907, the colony received self-government on 27 November 1907. Abraham Fischer became the first (and only) prime minister of the colony (in office 27 November 1907 – 31 May 1910). The first Legislative Assembly consisted of twenty-nine members of the Orangia Unie, five Constitutionalists and four independents. Fischer's cabinet consisted of:

Fischer, besides the premiership, held the portfolio of colonial secretary. The first Legislative Council counted five members from the Orangia Unie, five Constitutionalists, and one independent member, in effect holding the balance.

Policies

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In May 1908, the Orange River Colony took part in an inter-state conference which met at Pretoria and Cape Town, and determined to renew the existing customs convention and to make no alteration in railway rates. These decisions were the result of an agreement to bring before the parliaments of the various colonies a resolution advocating the closer union of the South African states and the appointment of delegates to a national convention to frame a draft constitution.[2]

At the eventual National Convention, former State President M. T. Steyn took a leading and conciliatory part, and subsequently the Orange River legislature agreed to the terms drawn up by the convention for the unification of the four self-governing colonies in the Union of South Africa.[2] Under the imperial act by which unification was established (31 May 1910) the colony entered the Union under the style of the Orange Free State Province. Fischer and Hertzog became members of the first Union government, while A. E. W. Ramsbottom became the first administrator of the Orange Free State as a province of the Union.[2]

Demographics

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Population at the 1904 census

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Population figures for the 1904 census[4]

Population group Number Percent
(%)
Black 225,101 58.11
White 142,679 36.83
Coloured 19,282 4.97
Asian 253 0.06
Total 387,315 100.00

Religion in 1904

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Religions. Persons. Male. Female. Percentage.
Protestants 251,904 135,933 115971 65.04%
Catholics 4,590 3,319 1,271 1.19%
Jews 1,616 1176 440 0.42%
Mohammedans 39 26 13 0.01%
Other sects 93 75 18 0.02%
No denomination 47 43 4 0.01%
No religion 127,637 68,536 59,101 32.95%
Unspecified 853 623 230 0.22%
Object to state 536 364 172 0.14%
Totals 387,315 210,095 177,220 100.0%

The 'no religion' heading also accounts for traditional African faiths which were not counted separately and constitute the largest portion of people professing no religion.

Religion in 1904 by race

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Religion European or White. Aboriginal Natives. Mixed and Other. All Races.
Persons. Males. Females. Persons. Males. Females. Persons. Males. Females. Persons. Males. Females.
Total Population 142,679 81,571 61,108 229,149 120,064 109,085 15,487 8,460 7,027 387,315 210,095 177,220
I. - Protestants -
Dutch Reformed Church 101,079 52,759 48,320 21,272 10,596 10,676 2,572 1,348 1,224 124,923 64,703 60,220
Gereformeerde Kerk 5,285 2,759 2,526 195 111 84 27 18 9 5,507 2,888 2,619
Church of England 17,879 13,884 4,495 14,782 8,020 6,762 1,887 1,011 876 34,548 22,415 12,133
Presbyterian 3,942 2,884 1,058 1,260 704 556 89 49 40 5,291 3,637 1,654
Independents and Congregationalists -
Independents and Congregationalists 195 136 59 1,383 962 421 214 164 50 1,792 1,262 530
London Missionary Society 8 8 3 3 11 11
Other Independents and Congregationalists
Methodists -
Wesleyan Methodists 5,121 3,016 2,105 51,576 25,650 25,926 4,163 2,141 2,022 60,860 30,807 30,053
Primitive Methodists 5 5 20 7 13 28 13 16 58 25 33
African Methodist Episcopal (Ethiopian) 2 2 3,747 1,856 1,891 361 181 180 4,110 2,039 2,071
Methodists 124 88 36 526 276 250 70 39 31 720 403 317
Other Methodists 1 1 1 1
Other Protestants -
Baptists 664 423 241 473 243 230 38 21 17 1,175 687 488
Berlin Mission
Calvinists 4 3 1 4 3 1
Disciples of Christ, Church of Christ 6 4 2 18 10 8 24 14 10
German Evangelical 6 5 1 6 5 1
Lutheran 700 479 221 5,030 2,517 2,513 1,103 501 502 6,733 3,497 3,236
Moravians or United Brethren 201 117 84 29 17 12 230 134 96
Paris Missionary Society 11 4 7 3,197 1,708 1,489 275 155 120 3,483 1,867 1,615
Plymouth Brethren 18 12 6 18 12 6
Rhenish Mission 3 3 8 5 3 15 9 6 26 17 9
Salvation Army 140 80 60 18 14 4 12 7 5 170 101 69
Society of Friends, Quakers 5 5 5 5
Unitarians 27 26 1 1 1 28 27 1
Other Protestants (defined) 120 71 49 87 54 33 14 5 9 221 130 91
Other Protestants (undefined) 1,248 829 419 544 302 242 91 51 40 1,883 1,182 701
Christians 21 17 4 43 34 9 18 10 8 82 61 21
II. - Catholics -
Roman Catholics 3,286 2,521 765 1,093 640 453 115 71 44 4,494 3,232 1,262
Other Catholics 94 85 9 2 2 96 87 9
III. - Jews - 1,616 1,176 440 1,616 1,176 440
IV. - Mohammedans - 5 5 1 1 33 20 13 39 26 13
V. - Other Sects - 10 6 4 1 1 82 68 14 93 75 18
VI. - No Denomination - 41 38 3 4 4 2 1 1 47 43 4
VII. - No Religion - 121 97 24 123,258 65,947 57,311 4,258 2,492 1,766 127,637 68,536 59,101
VIII. - Unknown and Unspecified - 584 411 173 208 164 44 61 48 13 853 623 230
IX. - Object to State - 316 237 79 195 112 83 25 15 10 536 264 172


See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Census of the British empire. 1901". Openlibrary.org. 1906. p. 169. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Hillier, Alfred Peter; Cana, Frank Richardson (1911). "Orange Free State" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 151–160.
  3. ^ "Latest intelligence Orange River Colony". The Times. No. 36804. London. 26 June 1902. p. 3.
  4. ^ Smuts I: The Sanguine Years 1870–1919, W.K. Hancock, Cambridge University Press, 1962, pg 219

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